RealNinja
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- Sep 17, 2023
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Abs and forearms are not included, because I throw in sets of each a few times a week whenever I'm feeling like it. Forearm routine is as follows: reverse EZ bar curl, Hammer curls with fat grips, cable straight bar wrist curls. Ab routine is as follows: Machine crunch, leg raise on parallel bars.
Chest and Back
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 6-8 reps
Must-do exercise if you want bulbous titties. Stretch your pecs at the bottom. Great for all-around chest strength and development.
Dumbbell Row - 6-8 reps
Primary back compound. Superior to barbell row in terms of lat growth, more stability and better ROM. Go heavy, but not so heavy you can only move the weight 6 inches. Always pull through your elbow. I like my elbows at a 45 degree angle with the dumbbell slightly tilted.
Incline Smith Machine Bench - 11-13 reps
High reps to protect your shoulders and make your pecs burn. Great pump.
Lat Pulldown - 10-12 reps
I trade off between wide grip straight bar and medium neutral grip attachment. Neutral grip is better for LATS specifically, but wide grip targets the teres major which gives you those "wings" beside your armpits.
Wide Grip Seated Cable Row - 8-12 reps
Seated cable rows with a straight bar attached, gripping at 1x or 1.5x shoulder width are great for developing your upper back/rhomboids and traps.
Pull Ups - 10-12 reps
Do these with bodyweight, added weight, or using the assist machine. Whichever variation you pick, make sure you maintain a mind muscle connection with your lats the whole time. I prefer neutral grip because super wide grip does not feel good on my shoulders.
Shoulders and Arms
Seated Smith Machine Overhead Press - 8-10 reps
It's not necessary to go crazy with overhead pressing movements because front delts get hit well enough by incline benching. I do this exercise by bringing the bar to my mouth/chin and pushing up. Keeps constant tension on your shoulders and protects rotator cuff.
Dumbbell Curl - 10-12 reps
Pronate before you start the rep, focus on contracting the bicep all the way up.
EZ Bar Preacher Curl - 11-16 reps
The goat. No need for explanation. Don't egolift and tear your shit.
Rope Pushdown/Unilateral Pushdown - 11-13 reps
Incredibly easy to cheat with bar pushdowns. Use a rope or do them one handed so you can actually contract your tricep fully. Straight bar/Vbar also sucks because your wrists can't move independently of each other.
Dips - 10-12 reps
Again, either assisted, bodyweight, or weighted- whichever you can do for good reps. Drop down until your upper arms are parallel with the floor, not necessary to hyperextend your shoulders. Squeeze hard at the top.
EZ Bar French Press - 11-13 reps
French press is doing skullcrushers on a bench at a 45-60 degree incline. Drop the bar down behind your head and sit in that stretch for a moment. Save overhead movements for the end of your tricep work when your elbows are warmed up. This is another movement you don't want to egolift on.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 12-16 reps
Another classic that doesn't need explanation. Always go to failure, always do partials. Cable raises are great too.
Reverse Pec Deck - 12-16 reps
Make sure your traps aren't doing the work. There shouldn't be a bunch of movement in your upper back. Always go to failure, with partials. Keep arms as straight as possible, lean into the bench a little bit.
Legs
(I cannot do squats or RDLs for the time being, I am working on repairing my herniated disc. But this is the leg day routine I recommend-)
Squat Variation - 6-12 reps
Barbell back squat, hack squat, pendulum, smith machine. Pick what feels the best to you. My personal preference is a close-stance hack squat. Go as deep as your mobility safely allows you to. Squat heavy if you want to get stronger, squat lighter and make your quads burn for leg growth.
Romanian Deadlift - 6-10 reps
Again, go heavy for strength and lighter for development. By "heavy," I mean 6-8 reps. You really shouldn't be doing 1 rep maxes on hip hinge movements like RDLs.
Leg Extension - 10-13 reps
Always go light enough to make your quads burn. Leg extensions are an amazing quad isolation, but you need to bring some intensity if you want growth out of them. Do not leave reps in reserve. Intensity techniques I use are myorep matching sets of 25, and supersetting with sissy squats.
Seated Leg Curl - 10-13 reps
Leg curls combined with RDLs will target all portions of your hamstrings. Again, make them burn. Assist yourself at the end of your sets by pushing the machine's lever with your hand.
Standing Calf Raise - 10-15 reps
The most beneficial part of this movement is the bottom part, where your calf is stretched. Sit in that stretch and feel it burning. Go high rep on calf work, always. You can also do myorep match sets on calf raises if you really want to torture yourself.
Chest and Back
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 6-8 reps
Must-do exercise if you want bulbous titties. Stretch your pecs at the bottom. Great for all-around chest strength and development.
Dumbbell Row - 6-8 reps
Primary back compound. Superior to barbell row in terms of lat growth, more stability and better ROM. Go heavy, but not so heavy you can only move the weight 6 inches. Always pull through your elbow. I like my elbows at a 45 degree angle with the dumbbell slightly tilted.
Incline Smith Machine Bench - 11-13 reps
High reps to protect your shoulders and make your pecs burn. Great pump.
Lat Pulldown - 10-12 reps
I trade off between wide grip straight bar and medium neutral grip attachment. Neutral grip is better for LATS specifically, but wide grip targets the teres major which gives you those "wings" beside your armpits.
Wide Grip Seated Cable Row - 8-12 reps
Seated cable rows with a straight bar attached, gripping at 1x or 1.5x shoulder width are great for developing your upper back/rhomboids and traps.
Pull Ups - 10-12 reps
Do these with bodyweight, added weight, or using the assist machine. Whichever variation you pick, make sure you maintain a mind muscle connection with your lats the whole time. I prefer neutral grip because super wide grip does not feel good on my shoulders.
Shoulders and Arms
Seated Smith Machine Overhead Press - 8-10 reps
It's not necessary to go crazy with overhead pressing movements because front delts get hit well enough by incline benching. I do this exercise by bringing the bar to my mouth/chin and pushing up. Keeps constant tension on your shoulders and protects rotator cuff.
Dumbbell Curl - 10-12 reps
Pronate before you start the rep, focus on contracting the bicep all the way up.
EZ Bar Preacher Curl - 11-16 reps
The goat. No need for explanation. Don't egolift and tear your shit.
Rope Pushdown/Unilateral Pushdown - 11-13 reps
Incredibly easy to cheat with bar pushdowns. Use a rope or do them one handed so you can actually contract your tricep fully. Straight bar/Vbar also sucks because your wrists can't move independently of each other.
Dips - 10-12 reps
Again, either assisted, bodyweight, or weighted- whichever you can do for good reps. Drop down until your upper arms are parallel with the floor, not necessary to hyperextend your shoulders. Squeeze hard at the top.
EZ Bar French Press - 11-13 reps
French press is doing skullcrushers on a bench at a 45-60 degree incline. Drop the bar down behind your head and sit in that stretch for a moment. Save overhead movements for the end of your tricep work when your elbows are warmed up. This is another movement you don't want to egolift on.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 12-16 reps
Another classic that doesn't need explanation. Always go to failure, always do partials. Cable raises are great too.
Reverse Pec Deck - 12-16 reps
Make sure your traps aren't doing the work. There shouldn't be a bunch of movement in your upper back. Always go to failure, with partials. Keep arms as straight as possible, lean into the bench a little bit.
Legs
(I cannot do squats or RDLs for the time being, I am working on repairing my herniated disc. But this is the leg day routine I recommend-)
Squat Variation - 6-12 reps
Barbell back squat, hack squat, pendulum, smith machine. Pick what feels the best to you. My personal preference is a close-stance hack squat. Go as deep as your mobility safely allows you to. Squat heavy if you want to get stronger, squat lighter and make your quads burn for leg growth.
Romanian Deadlift - 6-10 reps
Again, go heavy for strength and lighter for development. By "heavy," I mean 6-8 reps. You really shouldn't be doing 1 rep maxes on hip hinge movements like RDLs.
Leg Extension - 10-13 reps
Always go light enough to make your quads burn. Leg extensions are an amazing quad isolation, but you need to bring some intensity if you want growth out of them. Do not leave reps in reserve. Intensity techniques I use are myorep matching sets of 25, and supersetting with sissy squats.
Seated Leg Curl - 10-13 reps
Leg curls combined with RDLs will target all portions of your hamstrings. Again, make them burn. Assist yourself at the end of your sets by pushing the machine's lever with your hand.
Standing Calf Raise - 10-15 reps
The most beneficial part of this movement is the bottom part, where your calf is stretched. Sit in that stretch and feel it burning. Go high rep on calf work, always. You can also do myorep match sets on calf raises if you really want to torture yourself.
